Students at South Side Settlement House enjoyed the annual bird festival, mastering their skills at the Avian Olympic challenges like
- walking with a penguin egg on their feet,
- identifying 5 common bird species using binoculars and a bird id poster,
- weaving a nest made out of yarn using only one hand to see if an egg can be held within the nest,
- pin the tail on the birdie, and
- endangered bird ring toss.
They also were proud of their hand made posters that depicted what they had learned about “Seasons of Change”. The students were amazed at the live bird visitors from the Ohio Wildlife Center, including a Great Horned Owl, an American Kestrel, and an Eastern Screech Owl. The students, as well as visitors, took part in their conservation project which was to beautify SSS’s courtyard by planting native plants and improving the bird feeder station. This project was designed to enhance the courtyard to attract native birds as well as neighborhood visitors to the center. As always, pizza, drinks and dessert were popular as well! In addition to the students, members of the SSS board attended, along with parents and neighborhood visitors.
The bird festival brought together all that the students learned this school year about “Seasons of Change”. Starting in the fall, the students learned about different adaptations that allow birds to feed and live in diverse habitats. Following the in-class “Fill the Bill” activities, they hunted the area around the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in search of birds utilizing their adaptations, such as the Great Blue Heron hunting fish with its long spear of a beak or the Red-tailed Hawk carrying its meal in its talons. One adaptation that stood out was the gathering of starlings to keep warm as they roost in the trees on cold fall nights. With the ample snows of winter, in January students honed their skills as “Bird Sleuth Investigators,” learning to read the landscape by identifying tracks and determining the complex lives of the winter animals without actually seeing them. They also learned interesting facts about nests that can be easily seen in the bare trees of winter. Which are bird nests and which are animal nests?
This spring brought lots of migrating birds and the students experienced “The Migration Challenge,” which showed them just how challenging migration can be. Migrating birds have to avoid tall buildings in the dark, predators, bad weather, and power lines to name just a few. Then it was off into the park in search of spring migrators like the Yellow Warbler.
The students also learned what conservation is all about and how they can be responsible residents by caring for the earth. They completed two conservation projects: one at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center and one at the South Side Settlement House. One class learned that it was a tough battle with the invasive garlic mustard plant, but they proved victorious by pulling hundreds of plants in a section near the park path. Another class rolled up their sleeves and dug several holes to plant native bushes, such as Spicebush. All of the students found out that conservation work can be hard but gratifying when they are doing their share to care for the earth.
This after school partnership between South Side Settlement House, Columbus Audubon and Grange Insurance Audubon Center has been providing outdoor nature education to the students for seven years now. Without the hard work of volunteers like Johann Cozart, Betty Daniell, Tami King, Frank and Karen Martens, this program would not be as successful as it is. We are truly grateful to National Audubon’s state mini-grants that provided much of the funding for this valuable program.
[su_carousel source=”media: 5442,5441,5440,5439″]
{besps}education/SouthSideSettlement/sss_2010/BirdFestival2010{/besps}
{besps_c}0|02beautifying_the_courtyard3_rs.jpg|Beautifying the courtyard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|02how_does_this_look_rs2.jpg|How does this look?|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|02Karen_assists_with_nest_building_rs.jpg|Karen assists with nest building|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|03beautifying_the_courtyard5_rs.jpg|Beautifying the courtyard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|03Karen_assists_with_nest_identification_rs.jpg|Karen assists with nest identification|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|03learning_about_bird_song_rs2.jpg|Learning about bird song|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|04checking_out_the_student_displays_rs.jpg|Checking out the student displays|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|04racoon_tracks_in_snow2_rs.jpg|Racoon tracks in snow|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|04we’re_off_to_conquer_the_garlic_mustard_rs2.jpg|We’re off to conquer the garlic mustard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|05conservation_in_action_rs.jpg|Conservation in action|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|05Frank_&_Tami_help_young_investigators_rs.jpg|Frank & tami help young investigators|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|05Tory_shows_how_to_pull_garlic_mustard_rs2.jpg|Tory shows how to pull garlic mustard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|06honing_the_binoc_skills_rs.jpg|Honing the binoc skills|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|06SSS_investigator_checks_out_tracks_and_id_rs.jpg|SSS investigator checks out tracks and id|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|06trashing_the_garlic_mustard_rs2.jpg|Trashing the garlic mustard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|07I_won_the_battle_of_the_garlic_mustard_rs2.jpg|I won the battle of the garlic mustard|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|07kestral_gets_some_dinner_rs.jpg|Kestrel gets some dinner|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|08students_try_their_hand_at_bird_ring_toss_rs.jpg|Students try their hand at bird ring toss|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|at_the_Scioto_River_overlook_rs2.jpg|At the scioto river overlook|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|Betty_helps_young_investigator_with_nests.jpg|Betty helps young investigator with nests|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|checking_out_the_snake.jpg|Checking out the snake|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|digging_the_hole.jpg|Digging the hole|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|dress_up_squirrel2_rs.jpg|Dress up squirrel|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|hands_on_snake_rs2.jpg|Hands on snake|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|hands_on_snake_rs2ed.jpg|Hands on snake|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|looking_for_birds2_rs.jpg|Looking for birds|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|miss_cardinal_rs.jpg|Miss cardinal|{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|Visit_with_a_kestral.jpg|Visit with a kestrel|{/besps_c}